Flu shots will be limited

In inland North County, Palomar Pomerado Health hasn't
encountered any problems with its supply, said spokeswoman Tamara
Hemmerly. The health system, which runs two hospitals, has already
held several flu shot clinics for people at risk.

It's possible that the nation could run out of flu vaccine, but
that would be unprecedented. Usually there's plenty of vaccine left
over at the end of flu season, Lavenda said.

An estimated 79 million doses are available this year, enough to
vaccinate 28 percent of Americans, or a bit more than one in four
people.

Creating more vaccine may be difficult, if not impossible. It
takes several months for scientists to grow the vaccine, Lavenda
said. In all likelihood, "it wouldn't be ready until the season was
over," he said.

Even if everyone could get vaccinated, they won't necessarily be
immune from the flu. The shots only protect against three strains
of the disease.

Health officials discounted concerns about anthrax in San Diego
County. But if people are stricken by flu-like symptoms, doctors
should be able to tell anthrax from the flu, said Frank Myers, an
epidemiologist with Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.

"Physicians are being reminded of the differences," he said.
"They've had training and they're updating it."

There is a test to determine if someone suffers from the flu,
and chest X-rays should reveal the presence of anthrax, he
said.